USER REVIEWS

It's XTR--The shifting with the brake lever design works very well. My XTRST-M950 rapidfire shifters are great, but these are better. Very reliable/durable, and very smooth intuitive shifting style

Weakness:

Slightly clunky look to the shifters, but they kind of grow on you over time. That's about it. These shifters rock, both for disc and cantilever--I own both. Re looks, the rest of this XTR group looks killer.

Price Paid: Don't remember--got them

Purchased: New

[May 20, 2018]

DiGiTaLdAzE

Strength:

It's XTR--The shifting with the brake lever design works very well. My XTRST-M950 rapidfire shifters are great, but these are better. Very reliable/durable, and very smooth intuitive shifting style

Weakness:

Slightly clunky look to the shifters, but they kind of grow on you over time. That's about it. These shifters rock, both for disc and cantilever--I own both. Re looks, the rest of this XTR group looks killer.

Great if thumb shifter leave you numb during long rides. At the bottom of a screaming decent to the finish sprint my buddy Joe got the jump on me because my right hand was too numb to shift. That crushed me. Then these pups came out. Been on 'em since then. I don't run rapid-demise in back, believing the cable should pull into the more difficult shift (which is UP to the bigger diameter gear), and it runs beautifully. I like to downshift while braking into turns, so I use the thumb releases. Avid BB7 cable discs. Love 'em. Now that I'm on hydraulic discs on a HiFi 29er I have to get used to thumbies again. Bugger.

Similar Products Used:

20 yrs of DX, LX, XT, then XTR thumbies. Never liked twisters.

[Feb 17, 2006]

Donald Staniszewski

Cross Country Rider

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

Strength:

Great improvement over the previous thumb and finger shifting

Weakness:

Cannot get used to upshifting without the thumb shifter.

I love these shifters, but cannot get out of using the thumb shifters. Some people say that you should eliminate the thumb shifters, but I cannot get myself to do it! Still, they are the best!

Similar Products Used:

XT, XTR brake and shifter combo

[Dec 07, 2006]

Chris O

Weekend Warrior

OVERALLRATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

Strength:

They have the three magic letters on them

Weakness:

clunky looking; no numbered OGI

I’m basically happy with these shifters after using XT triggers for ten years and DX push/push shifters for four years before that. They were easy to get used to and function just fine. Having said that, I’ve got a few small criticisms. First, they look clunky. You would think the integrated design would allow for a cleaner look, but they’re bulkier than my old XT’s. The added bulk on the shifting portion of the unit doesn’t include a numbered optical gear indicator; instead there’s a minimalist gear indicator integrated into the cable. This indicator lacks numbers, and it’s a bit of a disappointment to lose an XT feature after stepping up to XTR. I’m not sold on having nine speeds, either for my cross country or for my dirt jumping bike. An 11-34 range does make sense for a freeride bike, but it gives unnecessary bulk and complication to my cross country and dirt jumping bikes. My old DX seven speed shifters could go from the smallest to biggest cog in one sweep, but these shifters require two throws. Again, I’m happy with them overall, and the biggest test is to see whether they last as long as my old XT’s. I'll also throw in that I have X0 on my dirt jumping bike, and I'm very disappointed with it (see separate review). XTR kills X0 on design, performance and price

Similar Products Used:

triggers, push/push

[Sep 29, 2005]

Cliff

Cross Country Rider

OVERALLRATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

Strength:

Smooth shifting and the solid feel of XTR.

Weakness:

Takes some time to adjust to, brake levers are not as smooth as my old XTR.

I love these shifters but I will admit it was hard to get accustomed to. After 20 years on the mountain bike rapid rise was hard to adjust to but because of the obvious advantages of Rapid Rise and STI I figured it was worth it and I was right. Surprisingly I have never had an accidental shift, I thought for sure I would bump into the shifters but it never happens. The true advantage of rapid rise becomes apparent when you are fatigued and the bike smoothly shifts into an easier gear even though you did not shift so smoothly in your depleted oxygen daze. Gone are the harsh grinding sounds while mis-shifting on a climb. Another advantage to STI along with lighting fast shifts is the ease at which you can get into your big ring, the length of the lever offers better leverage than the old XTR. The best piece of advice I can give you is suck it up and take the thumb levers off before you ride, the levers are a lame crutch that negates the advantages of STI.

Avoid the dual controls at all cost. I am not racist with shimano products. They have the best triggers, cranksets and V brakes.This system is just not working outside your house or shop. The 3 easiest back gears WILL be out of alignment after a month. You WILL have to change cables and housing to fix the problem.Want to keep them ? Ride around your bike shop !The XTR disk brakes are the bests but the caliper's pistons will guest stuck if you ride in the dust.Get any other shimano or SRAM shifters but not the dual controls.

Similar Products Used:

Triggers and twisters

[Dec 27, 2005]

Daniel

Racer

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

Strength:

Super easy to use

Weakness:

None

They work excellent, I have two years worth of racing on them and still no problems. At first I thought I would have trouble with shifting while I was braking but I haven't had any problem with it.Easy to get use with one fingure after a long race. A little pricee but worth every cent.Good for everyone from pros to weekend warriors.

Similar Products Used:

gripshift,xt,xtr trigger shifters

[Jan 30, 2005]

James

Racer

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

Strength:

Durability, used them in hardcore mud 24hr race, after race shifters were almost locked up, changed cables good as new. Also have bashed them into trees, and the lever moved out of the way on impact. Also the ability to shift from all over the handle bar. You'll be suprised how dexterous human hands are, you'll find yourself trying all kinds of crazy shifting techniques.

Weakness:

If you buying seperately, price

These shifters have added to my riding experience. As for all the crazy (theoretical) complaints, they are the same thing everyone said about Rapidfire shifters when they came out. Funny now people can't leave thumbies.

SRAMs new moto "We're only one step behind now! You know we have a self locking out fork."

Similar Products Used:

Everything. I was thinking the other day that I was comfortable with 5 to 7 different shifters.

[Nov 04, 2004]

Berkeley Mike

Cross Country Rider

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

Strength:

Simple, fluid, durable, lean, and tidy.

Weakness:

It is weird learning curve.

The system was hard to learn as the old style of shifting was so deeply ingrained and I was learning how to ride a Dualie and learning disc brakes at the same time. Read; lots of crashes and riding over my head. I hate to bring on bad ju-ju but I have had none of the problems described in this part of the Forum. The load in a logical way, are crisp, and grab as many gears as the old click shift (which never grabbed as many as gripshift, by the way.) They allow a more constant grip on the bars with the thumb and still allow for full shifting. They make the cockpit simpler and, hooked up with disc brakes, are fluid and liberating. I can't imagine going back to the old style of shifting. And, further braving massive ju-ju, they are durable as hell.